Hitomi Akano, nicknamed Girlfight Monster, is a Professional Bantamweight MMA Champion, born in Osaka, Japan and residing in Tokyo, Japan. She is also a Champion in Judo.

Judo literally translates as ” the gentle way”. It is a martial way that was founded in 1882 by Dr. Jigoro Kano (seen in the photo). Kano formulated Judo from styles of Jujutsu that he had studied. In Japan at this time many changes in society were occuring because of western influences. A major change was the overthrow of the Shogun and the reinstatement of the emperor in what is known as the Meiji restoration.

One manifestation of this change was the decline of the warrior class known as the samurai or bugei. Up until this time, the warrior class could kill another for the slightest offense. In the case of the peasant class, this usually meant oppression and immediate death for minor offenses. After the Meiji restoration this type of behavior was not supported and the carrying of swords was outlawed. This led to a decline in Jujutsu styles whose main function was martial. In this atmosphere, Kano (and others of other martial arts), changed the emphasis from purely physical to spiritual endeavors. Hence the change in name from Jutsu (art or technique) to do (path or way); same as the Chinese word tao. Kano meant Judo to be both physical training as well as a path towards building good moral character and spirituality. Part of Kano’s vision for Judo was for it to be a guide in all aspects of life and lead to greater harmony. This is reflected in one saying from Judo, “maximum efficiency with minimum effort for the mutual welfare and benefit of all”.

Today Judo is practiced both as a sport and as an art. Judo was accepted into the Olympic games in 1964 and since that time, most dojo for Judo emphasize the competitive aspects.

As martial arts spread, so did the idea of mixed-style competitions. Often a practitioner of one martial art challenged a practitioner of a different one for ultimate bragging rights. These mixed-style competitions took place worldwide for several decades, eventually gaining intense popularity in the United States.

Participants in these competitions learned from their opponents and began to realize that in order to become well-rounded fighters, they must study any combative art form that could give them an edge in the game.

For instance, if a kickboxer was matched with a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, the kickboxer would realize that he must become more adept at defending takedowns, thus prompting him to train with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters. (Jiu-Jitsu ground fighting incorporates various submission holds, such as joint and compression locks and chokes.) From that point forward, competitions were no longer between athletes who focused on a singular martial art but between two mixed martial arts athletes.

The Awakening rating is essentially letting you know
how inspirational an athlete is. The idea is to highlight
the athletes careers so their achievements are not
forgotten. Unfortunately we can only calculate based
on the information we have in our database. When we uncover, or are supplied with new information the
score will be recalculated.

The rating system is very complex and allows for all the
nuances within the multiple disciplines. Some disciplines
don’t have grading systems, others don;t have a W-L-D
record. These kinds of differences have been accounted for. The most essential thing is the overall contribution
to the female martial arts scene.